Hopeful Love
by Birdboy
Summary: Just an attempt at a lighthearted fluffy Sokeru fic which ends up turning into angsty shoujo manga-ish darkfic, one of the sequels to Fallen Devimon's saga(Sorry about the title and chapter length) Contains some one-sided Angekeru. Now complete!
1. Default Chapter

Author's notes: This fic is one of three (That are currently being written that is, there are more possible sequels) intertwined sequels to Fallen Devimon's saga. The three all take place in the same world during an overlapping timeframe, so there will be contact between them, though each will hopefully be a solid fanfic in it's own right.  
  
"So, it's over now." Takeru said, glancing down at the ruined mountain. "Fallen Devimon's army was annihilated, Lady Devimon's disappeared, and Fallen Devimon's running into an obvious trap. According to Miyako, Ice Devimon led an attack on monitor and was pushed back by the lake guardian, with his army scattered. As far as I can tell, the evil we fought against is all but gone. So, where do we go from here?"  
  
"We can't return home, according to Angewomon the portal's still blocked." Sora responded sadly.  
  
"But if we can't go back... This means there's still some evil we need to fight, but who?" The bearer of hope asked, concern evident in his unblemished face.  
  
"I think we should wait this one out a bit. I don't know what it will be, and I fear it, but whatever evil faces us is sure to reveal itself soon enough." Sora responded, also with worry, but with a slight optimistic tone in her voice appearing as well.  
  
"In the meantime..." Takeru began, "Let's go to factorial fortress. Most of the digimon of File Island are there, and it's a good place to relax without worrying about being assassinated in our sleep by some dark digimon."  
  
Sora nodded, and Garudamon turned in the direction of the underground fortress, created as both a refugee camp and a last line of defense against Fallen Devimon.  
  
"So much has happened in this last week, since three digimon offered up their lives and fused with Devimon to free him from the dark whirlpool. Taichi, Daisuke, and V-Mon were killed by Fallen Devimon, Kabuterimon by Mugen Dramon, so many of the friends I've had for so long are dead now. Worse, Yamato's turned against us and pledged his loyalty to Lady Devimon, and I've had to do battle with my own brother. We've fought many battles to try to stop his evil, and it looks like we've finally won now that Infinity Mountain exploded, but at what cost? Digimon who wielded the powers of darkness have returned once more, and again they've brought this world to the brink of ruin!" Takeru thought, filled with anger at what Devimon had done again this time, not unlike his anger at the powers of darkness caused by Angemon's death.  
  
"But still, even with all these terrible things that have gone on, it is still said that there's light within even the deepest darkness, and I suppose in this case that's true. After all, if this hadn't happened, Sora and myself wouldn't be, well, together." Takeru continued thinking, as Garudamon entered the underground fortress conducted around Factorial Town. Takeru, Sora, Garudamon (Well, reverted to Piyomon for the time being, it had been maintaining it's Perfect form for some time.), and Angemon re- entered the city, found somewhere to stay and began preparing for some nice sleep after the battles earlier in the day...  
  
Time passed, the metallic ceiling darkened in an attempt to simulate night, and Takeru, Sora, Piyomon, and Angemon had settled in for the night, if not actually having fallen asleep yet. Takeru was fast asleep once more, always having been early to sleep, as was Piyomon. But the bearer of the crest of love was still sleepless.  
  
"My first true battle, Garudamon's return, and so many casualties... I think this is the first bit of rest we've had since this war began." Sora said sorrowfully, looking down at Takeru's sleeping form. "He seems so kind and peaceful when sleeping..." She added, getting momentarily distracted by Takeru's face... "Stop it, just because he's cute doesn't mean you have to lose yourself in love..." The bearer of love started, but...  
  
"No, it's more then that, he's also the reason I'm still alive..." Another part of Sora said. "And besides, it's not like this is just some passing crush, I've been in love with him for some time now..." She added, thinking back to the Snimon incident three years ago. "Besides, we've been close ever since Vamdemon's first appearance." She finished, looking down at Takeru as she dozed off to sleep...  
  
Before long, a new day began, the first day after Fallen Devimon's constant attacks on helpless digimon, the first day on File Island without Infinity Mountain's looming presence. And as the day began, Takeru and Sora had awoke and with evil out of the way, their romance would finally have time to bloom, though the specter of uncertainty loomed large... 


	2. Chapter two

Author's notes: I know I don't usually thank my reviewers, but… Thanks Sorato L. O. C. fan, it's nice to know a Sorato supporter likes this fic. This chapter will hopefully be longer then the ultra-short first one, and should begin the major fluffy romantic scenes, unless I screw up again…

Love. Something that is often talked about, but seldom felt, and when it is it's usually not returned… Something so many wish for, but something so rare that the one who held it's crest believed herself incapable of feeling it… But sometimes, there are those people who manage to fall in love, and it brings great happiness…

"Love…" Sora muttered, glancing downward in the direction of where her crest would normally be. "It's my crest, I know, but it's just so confusing. Why can't I just fall in love without all these questions?"

"Sora-chan… She's so sad…" Takeru said, looking downward towards the bearer of love, and with sympathy in his thoughts, began walking down towards her…

"Takeru-kun…" Sora thought, glancing over at the one who seemed to make her live up to her crest. "This is the digital world, emotions become a source of power here, and with what happened with Garudamon in that battle against Fallen Devimon, I'm sure he already knows, but… What's his reaction? I can't tell at all how he feels about me…" She continued to think, until she felt a warm comforting hand on her shoulder…

"Sora-chan, what's wrong?" Takeru asked, concern clear in his voice.

"Takeru… He's so kind." Sora thought, blushing… "But I can't possibly tell him what's wrong, I don't want to confront him about this just yet… How do you tell someone the reason you're so concerned is because you've fallen in love with them and you don't know how they'll react? And besides, regardless of his feelings on the matter, he's so kind he'll probably fake love just to comfort me anyway… But Hikari would do the same thing, and I'm sure she's not in love with me. Besides, I do love him greatly, but I only want something to happen if it's also his desire, not just his compassion driving it." She finished, and then replied "Nothing," though the sadness in her voice made it clear "Nothing" was not the true answer…

"Sora-san… You're way too sad for it to just be nothing." Takeru said sadly, thinking back to the only two times he had ever seen the bearer of love so sad before…

"Takeru…" Sora responded, her mouth turning slightly upwards into something of a smile. "Thank you, for caring so much…"

"You're welcome." Takeru responded, wrapping his arms around the bearer of love as Sora smiled, hoping this was a sign of things to come…

Minutes passed with them just standing like that, Sora being held in the arms of the bearer of hope, but in time they parted, both back to being lost in their thoughts and plans to save both worlds…

Hours passed, and Takeru and Sora's thoughts once more turned to protecting Factorial Fortress and making it able to withstand an attack by the still-living Fallen Devimon… But in time, the increased fortifications for the day were complete and they had no more ideas on how to better protect the city, so they were left to think about the day's earlier events once more…

"It's so odd, like we're exchanging crests or something… All this uncertainty is forcing me to hope, but does this mean that Takeru's love is as strong as I hope it is…" Sora thought, thinking back to her being embraced by Takeru earlier in the day… "It still could have been just to comfort me, it doesn't have to mean anything, but…"

"But your love is so strong that you think of everything in the most romantic way, is that it?" Piyomon chirped inquisitively.

"Yeah." Sora replied quietly, so deeply lost in thoughts of the bearer of hope that she barely noticed Piyomon's question…

"You could just tell him… Takeru's not the type to be too freaked out about anything save the powers of darkness, and he probably knows by now anyway." Piyomon advised Sora, and the bearer of love nodded…

"Sure… I'll do it, as soon as I get the chance." The red-haired chosen agreed, resolved to end this uncertainty that seemed to eat at her more then rejection would…

Though their thoughts may have been on the same topic, Takeru's current conversation with Angemon was far sadder and guilt-laden… "Angemon, I'm sorry."

"I know, I know… I wish I could just be like Hotohori now, but even the holiest of digimon can't always do the noblest of deeds…" Angemon mumbled sadly… "I should be happy for you, but…"

"Angemon… I'm almost wishing this wasn't happening, but… My heart's with Sora's, I just wish there was another way…" Takeru said sadly, wishing his digimon partner and closest friend wouldn't suffer from this so much.

"Takeru…" Angemon replied, a tear running down onto his wing in sorrow, as he knew this would be one of the hardest things he'd ever have to say… "Maybe I can do the noble thing after all… Takeru, if this will bring you happiness, go for it…"

"Angemon… I thank you…" Takeru said, pulling the six-winged digimon into one last loving embrace, and the angel digimon smiled…


	3. Chapter three

Author's notes: I think I put too much seriousness and not enough fluff in this chapter, I'm still getting used to this stuff

Love... With the scepter of uncertainty soon to fall, it would not be long before such a thing blossomed. But if love were to occur without complications, there would not be nearly so much written about it... Still, though it may not always come easily, it would be some time before the heartbreak and conflict began, and for that moment at the very least, love could finally bloom...

"Takeru-kun... I'm sure your confused about this." Sora began, blushing about what she was going to do, but it was the only way... She had to find out whether her feelings were returned once and for all, there was no other path she was willing to take. The bearer of love did not want it to be unrequited forever, and after all, there was always a chance, there was always Hope, even when it is for it's bearer. "Why I brought you here, what I couldn't tell you by D-terminal."

"Yeah... But if it's that important, then go ahead." Takeru replied smiling, while a touch of wisdom was apparent in his voice.

"Very well then." Sora began, gulping in anticipation. "Ai shiteru, Takeru-kun." The bearer of love suddenly began. "Well, uh, that's what I needed to tell you..." She finished, blushing.

Takeru stood silent for a moment, processing this surprising information. He had suspected Sora had feelings for him, sure, but not that strong, so he wasn't quite sure how to react... And then there was that thing with Angemon, but he had encouraged him earlier, right? Besides, it wasn't like his own feelings weren't the same... "Sora-chan... I'm not sure what to say, but thanks..." Takeru replied, drawing the bearer of love into a long, passionate kiss.

"Takeru... I'm glad this happened. I'm thankful the gods sent us to the digital world." Sora said, after the kiss finally ended. "I wish that things could just stay this way forever, that we could be together and Devimon's evil never threatened either of us." Sora said, a tear coming down her cheek until the bearer of hope's soft hand wiped it away...

"Don't worry so much about it, the powers of darkness won't be able to stop us." Takeru said, finally regaining the hope he held so long ago, the hope that would enable Devimon's defeat... "We can stay happy, I promise."

"Right." Sora replied, nodding in agreement. "As long as we're together, there's no evil that can stop us..." She finished, smiling as the love they shared had given them hope as well, their crests really did seem intertwined now... And with that thought they parted once more, though their hearts were still beating as one...

But before long, because their desire to see each other was so strong, they met once more, this time on a large hill overlooking the whole of Factorial Fortress...

"These digimon, so many of them having their homes recently destroyed... They're all rebuilding so well, even with Devimon still out there..." Takeru said hopefully, putting a hand on the bearer of love's shoulder. "Maybe this world can be saved, even if Devimon finds this place..."

"Yeah... Everything's going well..." Sora answered, finally looking content, her face turning towards the bearer of hope. "And we're also so much happier now..."

"It's just like after we beat the dark masters... the Digimon are rebuilding our world after so much horror..." Takeru responded wisely...

"Our world?" Sora asked questioningly. "Yes, come to think of it, it really is our world now..." Sora added, smiling. "After all, without this world, we wouldn't even know each other." The bearer of love said, gently caressing Takeru's face. "Things are finally good now, even after all the evil Devimon's done... I wish time would just stop now, that we could be like this forever..."

"I do too..." Takeru responded, and then they stood silent, gazing lovingly at one another.

From far away, perched on top of one of Factorial Fortress's many buildings, Angemon looked onward at the couple... "At least he's happy..." The angel digimon said, a look of sorrow hidden by his helmet... "Their love is so strong, and I'm glad Takeru's doing so well, but... Why does envy have to eat away at me? Why must love end in heartbreak so often?" He added, looking longingly at Sora and Takeru, still wishing it was him in Sora's place, him being kissed by the bearer of hope...

"Love is a two-edged sword... If it's felt on both ends, it brings so much happiness, but if it's only on one side, it brings far too much sorrow... If only there was another way..." Angemon muttered, looking over at Takeru. "No, this is his time for happiness, no matter how much sorrow it brings me... I'll let them be and try to hide my attraction, even if it destroys me." Angemon said, looking over for one last time, and then turning his back and flying away in the hopes that distance could let him control his jealousy...

"Sora-chan... Thank you so much... Before I met you, I was like Yamato, still isolated and seemingly unloved. I tried to hide in the innocence of childhood, but... You saved me there, and even now you're still the one who matters most to me..." Takeru said, glad at that at last the love he shared with Sora was finally coming to fruition...

"Takeru-kun... Things might have been a bit different for me, and I had Piyomon to work through this stuff, but when you get down to it... I felt the same way... Thank you." Sora answered, blushing as they fell into each other's arms once more...


	4. Chapter four

Author's notes: Hopefully I can get this chapter up to a decent length... Sorry about the wait, vacation and other fics are to blame... Yes, I do use too many ellipses, why do you ask? ...

Devimon was far from beaten... The war would resume soon enough, such an evil could not be stopped... And it was only a matter of time before Factorial Fortress became his target... In the midst of it all, Takeru and Sora's love bloomed, but it had not yet been tested, and the growing darkness in this world could prove to be it's greatest threat...

A scouting mission... It was only natural to send the one with a Garudamon out to see what the world above was occurring... And Takeru didn't have much of anything else to do, so... No, it wasn't a secret romantic liaison or anything like that, just the necessity that came with both being chosen, or at least it seemed that way...

But things just happened as if to create such a thing... Sure, flying in a thunderstorm might not have been smart, but who knew how strong File Island lightning was? A flash of light, a scream, and suddenly Garudamon was plummeting to the ground, carrying Takeru and Sora with her...

Everything was going by so quickly... The sky and the trees, swarms of blue and green, with Garudamon's reddish flame mixed in and the green getting ever closer... More out of instinct then anything, Takeru quickly grabbed Sora and chanted some words of magic, and instantly they reached the forest floor, as far away, a phoenix plummeted to the earth, while the rain fell ever-harder...

In time, they both awoke, soaked in a forest with no means of transport out or any sort of map... In other words, just as they had during their first digital world journey, they would be wondering File Island aimlessly, but this time Piyomon and Patamon weren't with them either...

"We're alone, in the middle of a forest with no one around..." Sora thought, blushing... "No, don't think like _that_, this is far too serious a situation, even if what she was thinking of would make it more enjoyable... Besides, things hadn't gone that far yet... Trying to get herself onto a different train of thought, she began thinking of the whole "Stranded away from civilization" thing, so her face became both blushing and fearful at once.

"The rain's strong... We'll have to stay here for the night." Takeru said, looking up at the stormclouds and the watery sky. "I hope Garudamon can find us soon..."

"Right." Sora responded, looking up wistfully... "He's so focused right now, I'm not even sure if he realizes that we'll probably be stuck sharing sleeping quarters... Or perhaps he doesn't care..." She thought, as she tried to scout out a place to stay...

In time, they managed to find something... It wasn't much, just a small hut made out of sticks and wet grass, but at least it kept the rain out, and it was raining HARD. Of course, it did have it's flaws, it was too small for two people to even fit in comfortably, but... It wasn't like there was another way...

So there they were, with no one around for some distance, sharing cramped sleeping quarters, and a hard storm outside for good measure... It seemed to them like the gods themselves were setting them up for something, but none of them really wanted what _that_ just yet.

"Sora-chan..." Takeru said, looking out at the ferocious thunderstorm. "To be honest, I'm a bit scared right now."

"So am I." Sora added, putting a comforting hand on Takeru... "But I think" She began, but then shook her head, "No, I know we'll get through this." She added, a bit more confidently. "But still, what to do until the storm passes, it won't end quickly..."

Takeru shook his head, having no more idea then the bearer of love, rubbing up awkwardly against Sora's chest. "Sorry." Takeru added, blushing as he quickly moved his arm away.

"It's no big deal..." Sora responded, gently caressing Takeru's blonde hair... "I don't like it either, but this stuff happens when it's pouring this hard...' She added half-heartedly, not sure if she really meant the first part of what she had said.

"Ne, Sora-chan, are you sure you don't want me to touch?" Takeru-chan asked impishly, and Sora promptly blushed, not even feeling the urge to send Takeru skyward with a trans-dimensional mallet of any sort.

"Takeru!" She responded, feigning annoyance, but soon she was distracted, looking into Takeru's shining azure eyes. "No, I shouldn't be so distracted by that, even if he is rather attractive." She mumbled, her face turning a bright crimson. Desperate to change the subject to something less related to that kind of thing, she managed to desperately eke out the phrase "Do you miss it?" and then noticing the confusion on Takeru's soft face, clarified "Our old world, I mean."

"Yes, yes I do." Takeru responded, a slight bit of longing in his voice. "But this world is where almost everything worthwhile in my life has happened, so I don't really mind." He added, smiling. "Still, I do miss so many who have died here... Taichi, Daisuke-kun, Leomon, Piccolomon, not to mention Onii-san's betrayal..." He added, his voice somber with grief...

"I know..." Sora said, trying to speak reassuringly but with far too much sadness in her voice... "I miss them so much!" She added, and began to cry onto Takeru's shoulder, as the bishounen began softly stroking her hair.

"The storm's clearing up now..." Takeru began, staring out at the calmer forest... "But what was that? It was almost as if the gods were crying, the rain was coming down so hard..."

"And the lightning was so strong... This place doesn't get rain like this often, from what I've heard." Sora added, looking upwards... She wasn't sure if that was it, but she could make out the faintest outline of a dragon in the sky as she looked towards the air for a clue of what brought such a storm...

"Well, it's over now, we should be going." Takeru said, as a recently healed Garudamon desceneded.

"Right." Sora replied, still looking lovingly at the bearer of hope, as she thought back on the day's earlier events with the storm over Native Forest, and hoping Seiryu's tears had brought them closer together...


	5. Prelude to War

Author's notes: Fluff without plot is a difficult task indeed, and eventually the urge to turn this to darkness grew too strong... When considering the other events in the digital world, I found the perfect excuse to begin the siege of Factorial Fortress, so this fic shall darken soon enough...

Evil truly was everywhere, as Devimon had claimed was the case during his first defeat so long ago... The Grey Lord, or whatever that digimon was, had been defeated, and Seiryu's tears created a storm like never seen before... His sorrow left him unable to focus on his duties, and various dark digimon began to slip across the border he sealed, and it seemed as if the digital world truly was doomed... In the midst of it all, in the sanctuary known as Factorial Fortress, Sora and Takeru grew ever-closer, oblivious to the gathering darkness, but soon enough they would no longer be able to hide in Factorial...

He was called Demon... Banished to the dark ocean by Ken three years ago in a horrific battle, involved in the Dark Seed incident, and rumored to have been responsible for a horrible tragedy on Folder so many years ago... But when Seiryu could no longer seal the barrier between worlds...

As the darkness grew elsewhere in the digital world, Takeru and Sora were walking through Factorial hand in hand, seeming to ignore the world around them while thinking only of the other... Before long, mainly because of the peculiar geography of the digital world where meat grows on farms, they managed to find a nice quiet spot behind a waterfall(Despite being underground) to sit down and be able to spend some peaceful time with each other...

"It's so beautiful... The water, it's almost making me forget about that war..." Takeru began, and then turning to the auburn-haired girl, added "Kind of like you, Sora-chan..."

"Thanks." Sora responded, a faint blush coming across her face, as Takeru began to feel a deathly chill...

"Move!" The bearer of hope yelled, tackling Sora out of the way as a blast of dark energy sped by sharply to their left...

"An assassin." Sora said flatly, pulling out the flame-sword given to her earlier by Garudamon and moving in the direction of the attack.

"I don't doubt it... But who, and how'd he get in this place?" Takeru asked glancing over sharply, but no one was there... "Whoever he was, he's gone now..."

"_The powers of darkness are returning again... Those who wish for the destruction of this world have found a way back into it, and I'm not sure if they can be stopped..._" Takeru said, a slight tear running down his face.

"What's wrong, Takeru-kun?" Sora asked, her eyes wide with concern...

"It's returning... I felt the chill of evil when you were attacked." Takeru answered, voice filled with sorrow, his face clearly troubled greatly... "And though I may hold the crest of hope, even I don't think we can stop it..." He finished, and began walking over to the command center in the hopes of reporting this to Andromon, but when he arrived...

A crowd of mechanical digimon and Airdramon were surrounding Andromon, and the android digimon finally said it, after a year of preparing, and after Devimon had been defeated without attempting it, it happened... "Your suspicions are correct, Factorial Fortress is under siege." He said sadly, as various digimon fell back in horror...

"There's something that concerns me... An attempt was made on Sora's life earlier today, and we have not been able to find the perpetrator..." Takeru reported, as Andromon looked onward sadly...

"I can't say I know what's going on... But you should be safe now, whoever the assassin was, had he stayed here for long we would have been able to detect it. Get some rest now to conserve your strength, you'll be needed for the battle ahead..." Andromon ordered, and then added "But now I must go off to battle... I will protect the city, the walls of Factorial shall not fall so long as I live!"

As Andromon led a large force of digimon to the gates to lift the siege and a mix of gunfire, dark energy, and screams of sheer pain could be heard from all around Factorial, Takeru and Sora retreated for a time, hoping to get some sleep... But Angemon, Angemon was still sleepless, still reeling from the pain of unrequited love... And it was to exploit this weakness that darkness came in the night, looking to turn the one who had sealed Devimon so long ago into an evil seldom seen in either world...

"You want Takeru, right?" A dark voice said, it's source hidden in shadows... "I have a proposition for you."

"And Onigumo wanted Kikyou... But I won't fall to darkness so easily." Angemon responded. "Takeru's happy now, that's what counts."

"Everyone says that... Everyone tries to back away when their love isn't returned... And it destroys almost everyone... You want Takeru, you want to hold him in your arms, you want it to be you there with Takeru, you, not Sora, being held in his arms, but it will never happen..." The dark voice retorted, and Angemon answered in the affirmative.

"Yes, yes I do..." Angemon said, his voice turning emotionless and flat, as his eyes became a solid icy blue color... "I will help you, Demon-sama."

On the other side of Factorial, Sora and Takeru were preparing for the great battle ahead... "Tomorrow... One day left of peace, tomorrow we go into battle once more." Takeru said sadly, knowing how horrible the powers of darkness could be...

"Yes." Sora responded, looking across the urban sky, putting a hand on Takeru's shoulder as she looked into the darkness... From far across the darkness, Angemon looked onward as well, each of them driven to fight in their pursuit of Takeru, one for good and one for evil...


	6. War

It had resumed... It was foolish to hope that the trap at infinity would truly bring victory to the forces of good... On another part of File Island, Seiryu's child had been slain in battle by Fallen Devimon, and the gate that had separated the digital world from the dark ocean had finally collapsed... Now, Demon had returned from exile, and a large force of evil digimon were storming the gates at Factorial Fortress, among them a broken-winged Angemon...

On the other side of the gate, Takeru and Sora stood, prepared for the battle that would soon commence, even if Angemon could not be found... But it didn't matter, they were still more then strong enough and fighting on the defensive, where Angemon had disappeared to would have to be learned later... If only they knew that "later" meant during the ferocious combat, catching a glimpse of his white wings fighting on the other side...

But before long, the order sounded, and the battle had begun. Bloodshed, so much bloodshed on both sides... Hangyomon and Evilmon being slaughtered by massive cannons mounted on the city gates... Those Hangyomon who did manage to break through tore the Airdramon refugees in half, and the ground became littered with torn pieces of dragon flesh. And as the hideous carnage raged, the bearers of love and hope joined in the charge, weapons in hand, determined to stop the evils threatening the digital world...

"I will not let darkness engulf the digital world!" Takeru yelled, drawing the bow he had obtained in Grey Lord's mansion and firing at an oncoming Evilmon. He was shooting quickly, taking down quite a few, but... From the side, a ferocious attack, a thrown harpoon piercing his side, and he fell quickly to the ground... As the bearer of hope began to lose sight, he saw a beam of bright light coming from the other side, headed straight towards the one he cared most about, and on the other side of the beam, a kneeling angel, still torn between darkness and light...

When next he awoke, the battle might still have been going, for all he could tell, as all he could see was the bearer of love standing by his side... "Nooooo! Angemon!" He yelled fearfully, the same way he did as Devimon slew his digimon partner... _But at least in that battle, Angemon may have been dead for all I knew, but at the very least, at least he wasn't fighting on the other side..._ Takeru thought, noticing a wound on Sora's shoulder, looking as though it had come from a staff. "Sora-chan... That wound." he said, glancing over. "I'm sorry."

Sora shook her head in response... "No, it's not your fault... Everyone has their weaknesses, there's nothing you could have done to stop it..."

"That's where you're wrong, Sora-chan. It is my fault... I know what weaknesses Demon pounced upon, and if not for me... If Angemon had never met me then there wouldn't be anything in his heart for that monster to prey upon! It wasn't loneliness he took advantage of, it was heartbreak, the heartbreak of unreturned love!" Takeru cried out, trying to explain but putting in far too much emotion to explain easily.

"I see..." Sora replied sadly, casting a sympathetic glance Takeru's way, ignoring the injury she suffered at Angemon's hands completely. "Angemon..." She added, thinking back...

_She had charged into battle with the rest, wielding the flame-sword Garudamon gave her as well as ever, and the troops seemed to be breaking through... Hangyomon after Hangyomon was cut down, defeated easily as the forces of light charged... But then he came, from out of the swirling froglike masses, an angel, but one broken in body and spirit, one who had fallen to darkness, one she recognized all too well... "Heaven's Knuckle."_

_A wide ray of bright orangish light, the same light that had sealed Devimon and slain Phantomon... And the creator of that light had turned to darkness now... A look of sheer horror came across Sora's face, and the light pierced right through her shirt and skin, into her shoulder, as she collapsed to the ground in pain..._

"The wound he gave me still hasn't healed..." Sora muttered, putting a hand to her injured shoulder, "But I'm sure you've been hurt even more..." She added sympathetically... "_First his brother turns to darkness, now this? I know life can be cruel, but Takeru's had more then enough suffering already..."_ She thought, hoping that somehow, someway, this would end, and the bearer of hope would be able to regain his upbeat nature once more...

But just then, just as they were still trying to recover from Angemon's betrayal, a message came...

"Are you Takeru?" The Hagurumon asked.

"Yeah..." The bearer of hope responded, his mind seeming to be elsewhere.

"The walls of Factorial have fallen..." He said, his voice just gasps of horror.

"Kuso!" Takeru yelled, and then regaining his focus, opened the window and gave the following orders... "They may have breached the gates, but it takes more then that to conquer us! No, not until they've killed every last digimon will they triumph here! These digimon want to slay every last one of us, and there's no where left to run to, so let us fight, let us show those monsters the power of the digital world!"

And with that, the digimon of Factorial charged into one final battle... It seemed that there was no way they could win, yet still they charged, determined to stop evil from prevailing, even though it meant suicide...


	7. Aftermath

Defeat... Well, not quite defeat, the evil had been turned back, but... So many digimon, so many who came here merely to seek refuge, slain brutally by Demon and his troops... And had Angemon not saved him there, he'd be among them, instead of walking the streets of a Factorial missing two thirds of its population, regretting every move he made... If they triumphed, history would speak of this battle as a heroic defense, how the digimon of Factorial rose up and saved the digital world from evil... But it looked more like a massacre then a heroic defense, and for all Angemon had done for the darkness, he really had only himself to blame...

After all, wasn't he the one who Angemon's desire for turned the angel digimon to darkness? Wasn't he the one who told the digimon of factorial fortress to "Show those monsters the true power of the digital world?" And wasn't he one of the chosen, the ones who should have protected the digital world instead of letting this horrible evil engulf it? Hearing light footsteps approaching, he sadly said "Don't come any closer, I'm the one to blame here, don't waste time trying to make me think otherwise." A mix of sorrow and detachment running through his voice, as an auburn-haired girl who wore the crest of love approached from behind...

"Takeru-kun..." Sora said sadly, looking upon the various digimon still crumbling into data... "I can't let you fall to darkness..." She said, collapsing into the arms of the bearer of hope, her brown eyes gazing lovingly at him as she fell, but the bearer of hope seemed to pay no mind...

"Angemon... I need to find Angemon." Takeru said, his voice as it was when speaking about the powers of darkness... "Sorry, Sora-chan, but I have to do this to protect both our worlds... Love can wait." He muttered, and then left Factorial and walked through one of the tunnels towards the forests outside, in search of the digimon that stood by his side for so long, the digimon he had once loved...

"Traitor!" a Modoki Betamon cried out, zapping the fallen angel... Yes, fallen angel, what else could he call himself now? Even if he had saved Takeru in battle, the bearer of hope surely still despised him for helping the darkness. "I'm so pathetic... I gave into the darkness, and this is my rightful fate." Angemon said sadly, holding his staff across his neck, and then beginning to fall upon it while thrusting upwards...

But just then, just as he neared taking his own life by staff, the voice came, the voice of the one being who could stop him...

"Angemon... I'm sorry I've done this to you." Takeru said sadly, looking with sympathy at the angel digimon... "I wish I had those feelings, I know how painful that can be..."

"Takeru... It's hard, but it's no excuse for what I've done..." Angemon said, moving the staff into proper seppuku position.

"No, it's not... But we still need you, I may not love you like you want me to, but... I still care way too much about you to see you die!" Takeru yelled, tears falling from his face, as the angel digimon wrapped his wings around him...

"And if the thought of my death will bring you this much pain..." Angemon said sadly... "It seems no matter what I've done, I'll have to live a little while longer..."

_He's so sad right now, and I wish I had a better reason... But if it will keep him alive, it's worth it, I don't want to lose him again..._Takeru thought, thinking back to the nightmare that had haunted him for the past six years, thinking of that time when Angemon was killed in battle, that time he had lost him... Sure, he had been reborn, but that didn't do anything about the uncertainty he felt then, nor did it heal the shock of seeing your digimon partner disappear before your very eyes... "Angemon, I'm so sorry..." He said sadly, a teardrop falling to the ground...

But just then, the ground turned to ice, and a frozen claw ripped across the white sky... Angemon shifted quickly to guard Takeru's face, but the impact cracked his silver helmet, which broke into five pieces and fell to the icy fields beneath... "This time, this time I will protect you..." Angemon said, filled with grief, and turned to face the assassin, hoping that at the very least his death could make up for the treachery he had committed, as Takeru looked on, thinking how much what was happening was like those events of six years ago...

"_Takeru... I'll come back again, if you want me to."_ Those words, how clearly they still rang in his head, and now that Angemon was confronting an Ice Devimon in the same way... He feared for Angemon's survival...

"Zero Freeze!" Blasts of cold, black ice shot from Ice Devimon's frozen wings, headed directly at the broken Angemon... Slowly, he moved his staff up and barely deflected them away, with so little enthusiasm that one watching the battle couldn't tell if he even desired victory...

"He can't win..." Takeru said sadly, looking at how little Angemon seemed to care... "No, he doesn't want to win... He has no will to live left, he just wants to throw his life away in battle..." He added, as an icy claw raked across Angemon's once-beautiful face... "Angemon!" Takeru yelled out, wondering how much longer his digimon would last...

"Takeru-kun..." The bearer of love said sadly, looking onwards... "I can't let this sadness continue, I don't want him to lose Angemon again..." She added, and then resolved to do the only thing she could think of that could convince him to live... "Angemon! Angemon, I forgive you!" She yelled out to the angelic digimon, who turned and saw the bearer of love, his romantic rival, the one he wounded in battle... And she wanted him to live, in spite of all he had done...

"Ice Devimon, let your fate be a warning to all who threaten the peace of the digital world!" Angemon said, his hair waving magnificently over his face, and then pulling to the back as he raised a fist... "Heaven's Knuckle!"

In a blast of light, the demon vanished... Angemon had won the battle, but now, for the aftermath...

"Come back here Takeru, everyone was worried about you!"

"C'mon, can't I get at least _one_ moment of peace around here, even if I'm the hero?" Takeru asked, amusement clear in his voice, as he drew Sora into a long, passionate kiss...

But though the lovers were awash in happiness, Angemon's feelings were a bit more mixed, to say the least...

"_I've betrayed everyone, I've failed the one I'm sworn to protect, all because I couldn't win his love... I'm pathetic, I know, and I probably don't deserve to live right now... But Takeru needs me, and even if he doesn't love me, for his sake, at the very least I shall continue to live..." _Angemon thought as he flew back into the gates of the ruined Factorial, still saddened that he had caused all that, but at least this time, this time he at least had a reason to live...


	8. Chapter eight

After so much warfare, so much bloodshed, and so many trying to break them apart... It seemed the bond between Takeru and Sora was unstoppable, that they were as destined for each other as so many thought Takeru and Hikari were, as if their whole lives were leading up to these past few events... And now, even after a horrible, horrible battle, and even as Angemon's sorrow grew so vast it seemed his life itself was hanging by a thread... At least now, Takeru and Sora would be left alone, they'd be given the chance for their love to develop, finally having the chance to simply be overflowing with joy at being in each other's mere presence...

"Takeru-kun, come quick!" Sora yelled, beginning to drag the bearer of hope off...

"C'mon, Sora-chan, this isn't like you!" Takeru shot back playfully, but soon he saw it, soon it appeared...

It didn't seem like much at first, just a lot of flowers, but... "Look at how they're arranged!" Sora yelled, in an oddly genki mood...

"I see... Sora-chan, thanks so much for this... It's quite well done..." Takeru said happily, looking on the floral patterns... A stylized version of a Devimon on the ground, limbs out of position, and up on the walls, twin shapes of Garudamon and Angemon, standing victorious side by side... "I only wish this could come true..." Takeru said sadly, and looking up, asked "How long were you working on this?"

"Quite some time..." Sora admitted... "But I don't regret doing this... If even for an instant, if it could make you forget about this war and finally be happy, I'd work on this for ten times as long...

"Sora-chan..." Takeru said sympathetically, finally realizing the exact depths of the bearer of love's feelings for him, and then shook his head... "It's okay... As long as I'm with you, it's like Devimon was never revived..."

"Takeru..." Sora replied, gazing into his azure eyes... "I'm glad..."

The blonde-haired bishounen pressed his lips against Sora's, and it seemed for a time that all was right in the world... But it is said that nothing lasts forever, that darkness always returns... Still, it seemed that eternal love was possible for now, that a love as strong as that between Miaka and Tamahome, or Yukino and Soichiro could exist outside of shoujo manga...

"Ai shiteru, Takeru-kun..." Sora said lovingly, finally pulling away from the kiss...

"I feel the same way..." Takeru replied, seeming to forget about Devimon entirely as his hair swept across his face... "I wish time would just stop now, that we could stay this way forever..."

"Me too... Let's pray that Devimon's evil never returns, that Factorial Fortress will never be attacked again..." Sora responded hopefully, but their reverie was quickly cut short by a quickly shaking ground...

"Earthquakes, here?" Takeru asked... "I thought they were smarter in choosing a site..."

"That's no earthquake..." Piyomon yelled the pink bird flying fearfully into the room. "It's a Drimogemon!"

"They've been able to get Drimogemon into the city? Right, we're almost defenseless against an underground attack!" Takeru yelled, beating his head for not realizing this huge gap in their defenses... "Let's go, we have to stop them!"

"Right." Sora responded, waiting for Piyomon to fly out the window, and then holding up her digivice...

"Piyomon shinka! Birdramon! Birdramon shinka! Garudamon!" The pink chocobo turned first into a somewhat saurian phoenix, then into a towering humanoid firebird warrior... "Shadow wing!"

The three attacking Drimogemon were instantaneously annihilated...

"That was easy..." Sora commented, thinking on how Takeru didn't even have to fight...

"Too easy... It's a diversion, the real attack's elsewhere!" He yelled out fearfully, but as for where, he knew not... Not until the command structure toppled, not until Andromon had no more methods of relaying his orders... But through the fog of war, there was one sight he could not forget, a Tentomon fighting bravely against the oncoming onslaught...

"Koushirou? Koushirou, is that you?" Takeru asked, wondering if among the mist, smoke, and darkness of so many attacks, a fellow chosen stood...

"Yeah, it's me..." Koushirou responded, with the sort of "Intensely emotional answer" one usually expects of the computer user... But this time, this time his focus was not on computers, not on manipulating the digital world's coding, not on anything like that... His focus was merely on directing Tentomon using nothing more then sheer eyesight, hoping it wouldn't happen again... But as Takeru looked onward at Koushirou's bond with his digimon, the digimon Takeru had gained as his partner flew down to assist him, albeit with words that would seem better placed in the mouth of Kenshin Himura then in his own...

"For what I've done... For all the suffering I've brought on you... This is all I can do to repent... Heaven's Knuckle!" Angemon said sadly, firing a blast of light into the melee, and sending Demon himself flying back... But then he emerged, not the cloaked form they had known, but a monster said to be the strongest of all dark digimon... No longer just a cloaked figure, content to give orders, but a blue beast with purplish wings that brought sheer horror...

And so the battle began, as Takeru remembered a similar battle 6 years ago... Similar, but this time Angemon was even more outmatched...

"Live! Please, Angemon, don't get yourself killed!" Takeru cried out, but the bishounen would not respond, instead facing the evil with a sharp look on his face...

"No... Not again, I can't lose you to evil again!" Takeru said, weeping, and leaped out in front of his digimon, as Sora looked onward, feeling the very same way Takeru had so recently, finally understanding the ultimate fear of the one she loved, and hoping it was not too late... And so she called for Garudamon to join in the fighting, and her talons raked across the nightmare soldier's face...

But then the heavens quaked, the ground shuttered, and for the first time in so many years, it happened...

"Chaos Flare..."


	9. End

"Chaos flare…"

"It's over" Sora thought, witnessing the deadly attack… "And I can't even save the one person I cared about, the one I'd willingly throw my life away for… Unless…" No, it wasn't too late, there was still a way, even if it was a small one, and even if it ruined any chance of her own survival, for Takeru's sake, she would do it… And through the flames of hell she leaped, trying to shield Takeru with her own body…

And as the searing pain ripped through her very body, as she collapsed saying "At least he'll live now…" it happened, after so very long… And it seemed that as Angemon found himself more depressed then Yamato, it was Love that would bring forth Hope…

"Garudamon shinka! Hououmon!" A magnificent golden phoenix emerged from the flames, its shining wings shielding the loving couple from any attack…

Takeru hugged the bearer of love tightly, clinging to her in fear, but her soothing presence made his fear somehow seem not as great… As her digimon was about to finish Demon once and for all, and another of the thirteen dark lords would be slain, and maybe this time the digital world could once more be a place of peace and light, they embraced, and for once it seemed good had triumphed…

"Starlight Explosion!"

And then it ended… For the first time in the memory of any chosen, not only had evil been defeated, but it was a true victory, not minutes after a horrible tragedy… Demon had fallen, and the love Sora and Takeru shared was the source of said victory… Hououmon's strength meant that as long as they stayed there, Factorial Fortress would never fall again, and even Devimon ought to quiver at their might…

"Victory…" Takeru said happily, and then collapsed into Sora's arms, exhausted, but still so very glad they had won…. And Angemon, just arriving after the scene after watching the flares of chaos, could at last celebrate… For now, it seemed the victory was eternal… For now…

But even though those most horrible of evils had that nasty way of returning, and even though Fallen Devimon had succeeded at Grey Lord's mansion, for now, their love could bloom anew, and they could at last have a celebration of victory… Victory, words so rarely spoken in the digital world, for it has reached the point, after so much warfare, where half the digimon out there are thinking that stopping evil is not worth the price of victory, and before now, Sora was inclined to agree with them…

But not now… Now, they could be happy, without any evil looming over the horizon… Now, they had won!

"Takeru-kun…" Sora said seriously, as Takeru began to get up, regaining his energy after the victory… "Wai! We won!" She yelled out, suddenly dissolving any seriousness she had ever had to glomp the bearer of hope…

"Sora-chan, you sure you're okay?" Takeru asked, expecting this kind of thing from one like Miyako, sure, but Sora? Then again, had he ever really seen Sora happy? He was used to the bearer of love always angsting, always carrying the sorrows of them all, only cracking the occasional smile… _This certainly was a new world_. He thought, still trying to cast off the sorrows of old… But those sorrows were gone now, he may have imagined it, but through all this, good had prevailed, and through the crowds of nondescript, seemingly formless mechanical digimon, he thought he had seen Angemon smiling…

And so, the battle over, they finally celebrated, and it was an occasion the likes of which the digital world had never seen… There were some victories so great anyone you saw in the streets would be happy simply because of it, some victories which turned six states to nonstop celebration with the happiness lingering on for months… And Takeru and Sora alike were sure this would be one of those times of legend, that generations would hear about the time Hououmon saved Factorial Fortress from devastation…

And it was somewhere in an isolated corner of these celebrations that Sora and Takeru found themselves talking, wondering what would they do for the future…

"Sora-chan…" Takeru said seriously, finally seeming to begin speaking about what they had until then left unspoken… "Where do we go from here?" He said, thinking of what had happened… Their love, their love so strong it could give birth to one such as Hououmon, but a love still unconsummated… It seemed odd to him, sure, but he didn't want to press the issue, those around him were still uncertain of whether he had certain basic human desires. "Our relationship, I mean…" He clarified, blushing somewhat…

"I can't say… Still, I hope we can keep going forward… It would be nice to just enjoy each other's presence without any evils threatening…" Sora replied, still staring intently at the bearer of hope…

"Yeah… I would like us to just stay together, to find somewhere away from all this sorrow and finally be able to celebrate…" Takeru said happily, caressing Sora's cheek… "But where?"

"Well, the digital world has always been a very intriguing place… I've always heard the sky over freezeland was beautiful this time of year…" Sora wished, looking longingly at the air… "And I could use some cold air, this fortress really isn't that nice for breathing… Besides, we did liberate it, it's at least partially due to our efforts that Fallen Devimon doesn't reign over that place…"

"Okay… Freezeland it is…"

Fin.

Now, for the post-story commentary:

This is the first fic I really finished, and though it's certainly not the end of the timeline, I'm glad I wrote a decent Sokeru, so don't expect the whole "Ranting of failure" thing you got with Fallen Devimon's Saga… It's not a great fic, it won't revive the fandom, but I never thought this one would… Still, I'm glad I wrote it, the digimon fandom needs more fluff, and the more fics for couplings like Sokeru out there, the better… Certainly a first attempt at fluff, and I don't think it was that great, but it's still better then I expected, and overall, I'm happy with this one, though the chapters were way too short That said, I think I did a good job, and I'm glad to have done what I could to help the remains of the digimon fandom thrive…

Hope you liked it...


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